REPORT: Texas and Oklahoma Considering Leaving the Big 12
Conference realignment completely changed the landscape of collegiate athletics nearly ten years ago and it could be time for the movement to happen once again. According to a report from Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle, both Texas and Oklahoma have reached out to the SEC about joining the conference to form a 16-team league.
Why make the move? Simply because of the revenue that the SEC generates. Also, with the College Football Playoff set to expand from four to 12 teams, it gives each of those schools a chance to still make the playoffs while in that conference. If the playoffs had stuck to just four teams, neither school probably reaches out to the SEC because a path to the College Football Playoff is much easier in the Big 12.
What would a move like this mean for schools like West Virginia? Well, if I'm WVU athletic director Shane Lyons, I'm getting to the bottom of this to see how serious each of the two schools are about jumping ship. If they're strongly considering it, WVU should do all they can to start making progress in terms of getting into the ACC.
Transitioning to the ACC could do wonders for the university in many ways. Most importantly, it would be huge for recruiting. It's much easier to recruit kids to your school when you're playing in the same region you are recruiting. Only half of West Virginia's games are at home while the other half are in the midwest. If a recruit from Maryland or Virginia is down to say, West Virginia and Pitt, one of the factors that might go into his decision is being able to play where his family can come to watch him play the majority of his games. Very few folks are going to want to make the trek all the way to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, or Iowa. Also, the fan base would be able to make the road trips more often given that some schools are within a three to four hour radius from the state. Even a trip to North Carolina to face UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, or NC State is roughly three to six hours depending on which part of the state folks are traveling from.
Whether Oklahoma and Texas make the move or not, Lyons should generate conversations with the ACC. The Big 12 was never a fit for West Virginia, especially geographically. The closest road game for the Mountaineers would be Iowa State and that is still nearly 870 miles away from Morgantown. Not to mention, all of West Virginia's regional and old-time rivals are already members of the ACC such as Pitt, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, and Louisville. If things don't work with the ACC, the Big Ten would be the next option for West Virginia.
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